Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) Series

Health Behavior in School-Aged
Children (HBSC) is a cross-national, school-based research study
conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO)
Regional Office in Europe begun in 1982 to collect information on
health-related attitudes and behaviors of young people. These studies
are based on nationally independent surveys in as many as 30
participating countries and are conducted every four years since the
1985-1986 school year. The target population of the HBSC study is
young people attending school, aged 11, 13, and 15 years old. These
age groups represent the onset of adolescence, the challenge of
physical and emotional changes, and the middle years when important
life and career decisions are beginning to be made. The survey is
carried out on a nationally representative sample in each
participating country. The sample consists of approximately 1,500
adolescents from each age group. The United States was one of three
countries chosen to implement the survey out of cycle. The study
results can be used as stand-alone data or for comparisons to the
other countries involved in the international HBSC. The HBSC has two
main objectives. The first objective is to monitor health-risk
behaviors and attitudes in youth over time to obtain background data
and identify targets for health promotion initiatives. The second
objective is to provide researchers with relevant information to
understand and explain the development of health attitudes and
behaviors through early adolescence. The study contains variables
dealing with many types of drugs and also examines the ease of
obtaining drugs, frequency of drug usage, and other health behaviors
and their history such as eating habits, family make-up, depression,
stealing, fighting, bringing weapons to school, anger management,
attention span at school, and opinions about school.

The
HBSC is sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development.